Page 113 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

New paragraphs filled the novel’s final pages. A small smile formed as Kate scanned them. She was still reading when Cress carried a piping hot mug of coffee to the counter. The more she read, the harder it was to keep reading.

Finally, Kate pulled her eyes away and took a sip of her coffee. He put in way too much sugar, and she fought a gag.

“This ends with me belonging to you, Cress,” she said, meeting his gaze. “The fae Prince and the human end up together.”

“You wanted it to end darkly?” he asked, drinking his own coffee. “You want it to end with me being tortured to death?”

Heat struck her at the thought. She’d imagined him being killed, but never being…tortured. A tremor started in her hands, and she sat on them. “I was waiting to see how things play out and end it with how it all really happens,” she said.

“Hmm.” Cress’s mouth twisted to the side. He set his mug down, walked around the counter, and turned her seat to face him. “I want you to be mine. That’s how I want the story to end,” he said. “With us living a simple life, and you being happy.” He glanced at her neck tattoo when she swallowed.

“Don’t give me false hope,” she warned, pushing the laptop away. “Is there any chance you think things could end differently in real life?”

“No.” He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. “But if I can’t be happy in this faeborn life, then I want it to at least end this way in the story humans will read.”

Her vision glossed over. “Are you trying to enchant me again?” she tried to joke, but a hot tear rolled off the ledge of her eye and painted a clear streak down her face.

Cress cast her a smile and swiped the tear away with his thumb. “I know by now, Human, that enchanting you is not possible.” He tugged her to her feet. “Forget the novel. Let’s get ready for theugly human Christmas sweatersparty. Lily insisted we have a full day of festivities in our hideous garments. I think she believes that throwing a celebration will make it easier to let me leave at dawn. But I’ve made sure you’ll all suffer in my absence by finding little traces of me in every corner and cranny. I expect you all to miss me terribly.”

38

Prince Cressica and the Merry Christmas of Faeborn Madness

Dranian arrived at the party with no shirt or hideous sweater. Nothing but garland “suspenders” covered his broad assassins’ chest. He also wore a pointed red hat with a fluffy fur ball on the end, but his cheery garments didn’t make him seem any happier. The fairy frowned and grumbled while he got the fire going and carried mugs of warm beast milk out from the back.

Cress scratched his neck beneath his uncomfortable human sweater and approached the counter where a platter offreshly baked chocolate chip cookiescalled to him with the sweet voice of crispy crust and sugar. But his eyes were on Kate, even when she was out of earshot. He kept his face composed to seal away the anger threatening to erupt as he watched her be. It was the same anger he had hardly been able to contain these past days. The same anger that boiled just below the surface of his princely scent and ice-toned eyes.

Today, he hated that he was a faeborn prince, from a faeborn realm, born of a fairy kind. He tore his eyes off the human girl across the room for just a moment to choose his cookie. After a quick count, he selected the one with the most chocolate chips, as only such a dessert was worthy of a prince.

When he bit into it, he spat it back out.

“What is this?” he demanded, turning the dessert over in his hands.

“Lily brought those,” Mor said.

“And what in the name of the sky deities arethese?” Cress plucked out one of the chocolate chips to find it squishy. He made a horrified face. “What is it, Mor?! Why does it squeeze like a bug?”

“It’s a raisin.” Kate appeared and took a cookie for herself. She bit into it. “They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t mind them.”

Cress stared as she consumed the bite instead of spitting it as he had done. He held his cookie toward her and pointed at the raisins. “This is human trickery of the highest sort!”

Her raspy laugh filled the café when Cress tossed the rest of the cookie back onto the plate.

“Kate.” Lily approached, and Cress glared at her for her raisin cookie trap. But the fair featured human was looking down at her phone. “I can’t believe this is happening but work just called. There’s an emergency downtown and they’re calling everyone in.”

The disappointment that came over Kate’s face turned something in Cress’s chest.

“But it’s Christmas Eve,” she said with a tone that told stories.

Mor sighed and sipped his beast milk. Then he winced at Dranian’s bare fae chest as Dranian appeared. “Put on a cloak, Dranian,” Mor said. “These aren’t the Brotherhood training quarters. You’ll catch a cold.”

Lily looked up at Cress. The human police officer didn’t need to point out that if she left now, she may not see Cress again. But there was enough goodbye in her eyes without speaking it into the air.

“Best of luck tomorrow, Cress,” was all she said.

The sound of Mor’s mug echoed through the café when he dropped it too hard on the counter. “Yes. Best wishes of luck. That ought to save him,” he mumbled.

Cress shot Mor a look. He shoved the plate of notfreshly baked chocolate chip cookiestoward him. “Try one.” He invited his friend to experience the horror.

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